Ukraine

Introduction

In 2016, Ukraine ranked 84th on the UNDP Human Development Index, which each year monitors the social and economic development of the world’s countries.

In 2016, Ukraine continued its systemic reforms aimed at overcoming many years of political, economic, and social neglect. The reforms are also motivated by the signed EU-Ukraine Association Agreement. Changes are introduced under difficult conditions of war and a deep economic crisis. Since the end of 2013, it is estimated that 10 thousand people have died as a result of the ongoing hostilities. The number of Internally Displaced People (IDPs) has risen to around 1.5 million.

Ukraine is an important partner in the region for Poland and a country that has a chance to repeat the success of Poland’s transformation. This fact significantly enhances the role played by Polish Official Development Assistance (ODA). In 2016, Ukraine received PLN 94.6 million worth of this assistance.

Actions in 2016

2016 was the first year the “Multiannual Development Cooperation Programme for 2016-2020” was implemented. Under the Programme, the MFA focused its activities in Ukraine on the following thematic priorities:

Good governance

Human capital

Entrepreneurship and the Private Sector

Good Governance Priority

Under the good governance priority, the Polish government administration continued to support key reforms, such as the local government reform, the educational system reform and combatting corruption.

The MFA coordinated support for a team of local government reform experts in Ukraine through an office opened in Kyiv. As part of the Poland-Canada Democracy Support Program a number of local-level civil society development projects and projects supporting united hromads (municipalities) were carried out.

Polish experts were engaged in developing the objectives of a new core curriculum for all types of Ukrainian schools. Expert support to train teachers and to align the status and professional career of teachers with European standards was continued. All these measures reflected the ongoing process of state decentralisation and the transfer of responsibility for schools to local authorities.

As part of the Eastern Partnership Academy of Public Administration, the MFA in cooperation with the Central Anti-Corruption Bureau organised another training module for Ukrainian civil servants and officers responsible for implementing anti-corruption programmes. In addition, in 2016 the Ministry of Finance, using Polish aid funds, supported the Ukrainian Analytical Unit in charge of managing information about money laundering and proceeds from crime. The unit plays an important role in identifying financial crime, including corruption.

Polish local governments and NGOs also supported central government’s measures to develop crisis management systems by launching initiatives involving the creation of volunteer units of medical rescuers, the professionalization of firefighting services and mountain rescuers.

Human Capital Priority

Due to the protracted crisis in Ukraine, in 2016 some of the development aid measures complemented and strengthened humanitarian actions addressed to persons displaced from eastern Ukraine as a result of hostilities. These activities were aimed at integrating Ukrainian refugees with the communities that received them and at developing ways to enable them to function on their own. Centres for support and integration of displaced families where set up in six Ukrainian cities. The centres provide welfare and psychological assistance. In addition, several dozen schools in the Kharkiv region, including a centre for displaced families “Romaszka” were renovated and provided with additional furnishings.

Entrepreneurship and the Private Sector Priority

In 2016, Poland continued to be involved in in the area of entrepreneurship by carrying out measures to improve the quality of vocational training and to promote entrepreneurship among young people and in rural areas. Poland also provided know-how relating to motivating small and medium-sized companies to cooperate with each other by, among others, creating clusters and buyers’ groups. Support for the Youth Entrepreneurship Incubator in L’viv was continued. In addition, the Ministry of Economic Development implemented the first module of a two-year project, the aim of which is to boost Ukraine’s investment attractiveness and the competiveness of its regions. The project is being carried out in cooperation with Ukrainian ministries in charge of regional development and the economy. The project’s measures are addressed to local governments and the central administration and are focused on seven regions in central and western Ukraine.

Humanitarian aid

In response to the difficult situation of the civilian population that was resettled because of the ongoing hostilities in the Luhansk and Donetsk Oblasts, the MFA has continued to provide humanitarian aid in the area controlled by the Ukrainian government. Right now the key problem is access to basic welfare and medical services and medications. Responding to these needs, in 2016, funding was provided for three medical and welfare offices, information desks for internally displaced people, a pre-school centre, and a therapy room. The centres also provide consultancy and psychological services.

Involvement in international initiatives

Poland declared its participation in the funding and implementation of an EU programme to strengthen decentralisation in Ukraine (U-LEAD), the aim of which is to accelerate local government reform in Ukraine by providing wide-ranging support in a number of areas that are key to this reform. The programme is implemented as part of the European Neighbourhood Instrument (ENI), and Poland declared to allocate euro 1 million as its financial share.

This year Poland has transferred additional support amounting to USD 0.5 mln to an UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) project that promotes self-employment and job creation among the population affected by the conflict in Ukraine. The beneficiaries of this project have participated in several entrepreneurship training sessions and later received financial support to start or reactive businesses. Grant recipients could also benefit from legal advice, accounting advice and assistance in marketing activities.

Funds for Ukraine are also transferred through contributions to the budgets of international institutions and organisations (such as the OECD, UNICEF, NATO, and UNDP).

Actions in 2013

In 2013, a total of 21 projects were undertaken, of which 13 were selected through the call for proposals Polish Development Aid 2013 (for the amount of PLN 3.7 mln), and 8 are carried out with the participation of Polish central administration units (PLN 1.9 mln). In the framework of the Small Grants System, the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Kiev implemented 8 projects of total value amounting to PLN 0.8 mln (see full list).

In 2013 the Polish development cooperation activity in Ukraine is performed according to the following priorities (non-governmental organization projects, local governmental units, government administration units):

Public security and border management(4 projects – PLN 0.62 mln)Actions aimed in particular at increasing the competences of subjects and services responsible for public safety, crisis management and environmental protection.

Regional development and public administration capacity building(9 projects – PLN 2.42 mln),Actions servingthe strengthening of local government in modern public utility services management, real estate management and energy saving, as well as increasing the attractiveness of Ukrainian cities.

Small and medium enterprises and creation of new jobs (8 projects – PLN 2.56 mln)Actions aimed at the development of innovative technologies based on renewable energy sources and water saving technologies for SMEs, facilitating the access to information for people starting or conducting business activities, encouraging the creation and supporting producer groups and cooperatives, support for the development of microenterprises and small firms as well as granting employment support to women.

Program Eastern Partnership Academy of Public Administration (EPAPA)

In 2013 Ukrainian officials were invited to take part in the next edition of the Eastern Partnership Academy of Public Administration, which aims at the strengthening of public administration in the Eastern Partnership countries through the organization of specialized courses for officials from partner states. The goal is to create a professional public administration personnel in the Eastern Partnership countries, which shall serve as a base of experts assisting in the implementation of the principles of a democratic state with the rule of law.

Actions in 2012

A total of 26 projects were implemented (see full list) amounting to PLN 6,691,251, including 19 projects selected as part of the 2012 Polish Development Assistance call for proposals, and 7 implemented with support from Polish central government agencies (amounting to PLN 1,514,594). As part of the small grants programme, the Polish Embassy in Kiev implemented 7 projects valued at 805 000 PLN. Furthermore, 21 projects amounting to PLN 2,398,994 were implemented in the framework of a call for proposals organized by the Solidarity Fund PL.

In 2012 Polish activities in the field of development cooperation in Ukraine was based on the following priorities:

public safety and border management (8 projects – PLN 1,922,513)The measures concerned, in particular, support for entities responsible for public safety and environmental protection.

regional development and building the potential of public and local government administration (9 projects – PLN 2,294,780),Measures focused on strengthening the dialogue between regional government administration offices and local government on the one hand, and NGOs on the other hand; boosting local government in the area of modern management of communal services, property management and energy efficiency; professionalization of the territorial management system; and support in establishing a regional development policy.

small and medium enterprises and creating jobs (9 projects – PLN 2,473,958)Measures were aimed, among others, at developing innovative technologies based on alternative sources of energy and energy efficient technologies in SMEs, facilitating access to information supporting people setting up and operating businesses, initiating the setting up of producers’ groups and cooperatives and supporting existing ones, and supporting the development of microenterprises and the professional activation of women.

In 2012, 14 Ukrainian civil servants took part in the second edition of a programme of the Eastern Partnership Academy of Public Administration whose aim was to strengthen government administration in the Eastern Partnership countries through the organisation of specialist training courses for civil servants from the EaP partnership countries. The programme trains professional civil servants in the EaP countries who then provide the necessary expertise needed to implement the rule of law. The training courses, organised in collaboration with the National School of Public Administration involved value-based management, the economics of public finance and security and defence policies.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in collaboration with the National School of Public Administration, organised a SENSE (Strategic Economic Needs and Security Exercise) training, attended by 10 representatives of the Ukrainian government administration and the private sector. SENSE is a training programme that uses computer simulation to run a market-economy country. The main objective of the programme is to strengthen the government administration of the beneficiary countries, promoting reforms and rules of good governance at the national and local levels.

Actions in 2011

In the framework of Poland’s 2011 development cooperation programme, 37 projects were implemented in Ukraine (including 4 projects implemented jointly in several countries, i.e. Moldova, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, and Ukraine). The total financing amounted to PLN 8 734 636, expended by NGOs, government administration and local self-government bodies, as well as 8 small grants projects implemented by the Polish Embassy in Kiev, amounting to PLN 330 625.05. The projects were implemented in the framework of the following priorities:

Good governance, in particular: preventing and combating corruption, initiatives to approximate Ukrainian law to meet EU standards (judiciary, customs and border services, real estate trade and cadastre legislation), pension reform, urban management in the field of municipal services, and EaP initiatives (25 projects worth a total of PLN 5 927 939);

Rural development and agriculture, in particular: support for agriculture advocacy, activation of local communities to help raise rural living conditions (9 projects worth a total of PLN 2 019 647);

Actions in 2010

Projects implemented in the framework of the 2010 foreign aid programme corresponded to the principal support areas for Ukraine, as defined in the Polish foreign aid programme, and consisted of institutional development and promotion of good governance, local government cooperation, European and Euro-Atlantic integration (including reforms of the judiciary system, customs and border services, as well as rural development) and energy efficiency.

In 2010, 44 aid projects were implemented in Ukraine by NGOs, government administration, local government bodies and research-and-development entities. Moreover, the Polish Embassy in Kiev, in cooperation with the German-Polish-Ukrainian Association, implemented a project entitled, "Give the Children a Home - Reconstruction of Building No. 2 in the ‘Our Children' Centre." The aim of the project was to create and popularize an alternative childcare model in Ukraine. The project budget amounted to PLN 649 850.

The total cost of activities implemented in Ukraine in the framework of the 2010 Polish foreign aid programmed amounted to ca. PLN 11.9 million.

Actions in 2008

local government and territorial reform (including regional and transborder cooperation);

strengthening central government bodies;

systemic economic reforms;

social reform (education system reform, youth exchanges, pension system and health care reform, aid for homeless people and people with disabilities);

rural and agricultural development;

building civil society;

obtaining EU funds.

In 2008, 96 projects were implemented in Ukraine, with appropriations of over PLN 17 million. Additional support for Ukraine was provided in the framework of humanitarian aid (victims of flooding - PLN 1.5 million) and transfers towards the financing of projects implemented by UNIDO, OECD, OSCE and NATO.

More information on all 2008 projects can be found in the Annual Report on "Poland's Development Co-operation Programme" (see Documents and Publications).